Raptors Aren't Going Anywhere

Not a huge Toronto Sun fan, but I enjoyed Steve Buffery's article this morning pertaining to everyone's fear, "Will Toronto lose their franchise?"

Actually, thereís a fourth reality: If the Raptors struggle, as most of the pundits predict, attendance at the Air Canada Centre will drop, and when that happens, bloggers, TV pretty boys and basketball scribes, mainly south of the border, will speculate anew if the drop in attendance means the beginning of the end of NBA basketball in Toronto.

It already has begun.

The topic has been raised on certain websites, including Real GM. Personally, Iíve been asked over the last few days, both on the radio and TV, if NBA basketball is ďviableĒ in Toronto, now that everyone expects the Raptors to finish poorly.

To which I say ... enough.

The idea that Toronto is on shaky ground as a basketball city is wrong, and the fact that the question is raised on a consistent basis when the team struggles is stupid.

The only reason the question is brought up is because the Raptors play in Canada, and because our hippy-dippy cousins on the west coast lost their franchise in 2001.

But this isnít Vancouver.

We might not have mountains or the ocean or high hopes, but weíve got a large and rich enough foundation of fans who will continue to support NBA basketball even if the team struggles.

Strong support

Look at the numbers. The Raptors have generally been less than great, making the playoffs only four times in 15 seasons and getting past the first round only once. Yet, other than three seasons, the Raptors have always finished in the top half of the NBA in attendance. The three times they didnít, they were 16th, 17th and 17th. Ten times they have been in the top 10. Last season the Raptors averaged 17,897 at the ACC, despite missing the playoffs again.

This year, believe it or not, Raptors ticket people are expecting similar attendance figures to last season, based on a season ticket renewal rate of 87%.

Not only are the Raps not going anywhere - the NBA wishes it had 5 more markets like Toronto to put teams in.

They are talking about contraction:
Memphis
Sacramento
Minnesota
New Orleans
Charlotte

are all bleeding big cash time - if there were cities in Canada with the same fan/corp base as toronto Stern would move these teams there.

All this speculation is driven by completely shallow idiotic American writers who can barely find their own home town on a map. I have been in the states many years and there is no shortage of total morons with their own cable shows and blog sites.

Raptors ticket people are expecting similar attendance figures to last season, based on a season ticket renewal rate of 87%

A sorry indictment on the state of the franchise and management and how we as fans while supportive will continue to let them trot out a mediocore product, and it's all good.

I can't stand hockey but isn't this what happens with the Leafs as well? Fans keep on supporting mediocore product so management doesn't have to do anything and can pin hopes on Raptor revivals of being a hustle team that doesn't placate to ego driven stars (who management wanted to max out by the way) and prima donnas who get to sit out training camps as per.....managements instruction?lol

We may now get behind an fully supprt the younggu....onez movement as we will bear witness to the rising of the next generation of stars on this team that have yet to do anything in their careers except make viral video's that we dissed other departed players for making last year.lol

The team is not going anywhere and will not be relocated but I wish the fans stayed home so the current braintrust would be forced to go somewhere far away.

Raptors ticket people are expecting similar attendance figures to last season, based on a season ticket renewal rate of 87%

A sorry indictment on the state of the franchise and management and how we as fans while supportive will continue to let them trot out a mediocore product, and it's all good.

Funny, I'm more excited this season than I have been in years because for the first time in a long time, this team looks like it's being built up properly. This year's team is far from mediocre. It's terrible but with potential for a very strong future. I much prefer that to the mediocre team of the last couple of years.

I was listening to a little but of that idiot Colin Cowherds show this morning on espn radio and they had some dumb hoe writer from boston who said she didnt think contraction was going to happen and she couldnt really think of who should go on the spot and then outta nowhere she flipped and said if anyone probably the raptors would go...lol lol i couldnt stop laughing and this hoe was being lauded for being a long standing credible NBA writer...she didnt even back it up with anything she just said Raptors...

Its just funny how alot of these american NBA writers are ignorant or clueless to this team and organization....They love to predict and assume the demise of this team simply based on it being in Canada and not knowing its situation...

Funny, I'm more excited this season than I have been in years because for the first time in a long time, this team looks like it's being built up properly. This year's team is far from mediocre. It's terrible but with potential for a very strong future. I much prefer that to the mediocre team of the last couple of years.

Being built properly? Really? Based on what? Is management now focusing on rebounding and defence as it's foundation? Hard to tell that is the case from what I've seen so far. This team is a lot closer to mediocore and just being downright bad, then it is to being good or even average. I'm curious where you see the potential for a very strong future as I have trouble envisioning this as step 1 in the road to respectability.

I can't see the Raptors being a candidate for contraction. They make the NBA a lot of money. I'd say teams like Charlotte, Atlanta and New Orleans are prime candidates. I can't see Sacramento contracting simply because they're on the up and the Maloofs have a lot of money. Atlanta puts a winning product on the court and still can't draw. Same goes for Charlotte. New Orleans hasn't really been a success money-wise since they've moved back. Memphis has been dreadful.

However, I can't see contraction. Rather, I think they'll think re-location. One has to wonder how long before Stern caves in and puts a franchise in Vegas. Kansas City has a brand new facility and aching for pro-sports that goes beyond January into the spring and Seattle is due - should they be able to procure a new arena.

The only time that teams get moved is when they get sold... and MLSE is not letting go of any of it's goldmine sports franchises anytime soon... Plus isn't the GTA like a top 5 market in North America?? (not including Mexico) It's a mini-New York and probably has more cash per-capita than any other NBA city!

Too bad Calgary and Edmonton weren't geographically closer or we'd have an cash cow location to move one of those struggling southern franchises to!!

I really, really think that Montreal and Vancouver should get a franchise. They have the money and numbers to buy the tickets and watch the tv games. And they could probably find a way to get more corporate sponsors. Vancouver could play up its connection to Hong Kong and the chinese market.

I really, really think that Montreal and Vancouver should get a franchise. They have the money and numbers to buy the tickets and watch the tv games. And they could probably find a way to get more corporate sponsors. Vancouver could play up its connection to Hong Kong and the chinese market.

NBA is never going back to Vancouver and Montreal is not going to happen lol